Today I am fucking thankful, grateful, and blessed.
I need to start this story by saying that I suck at checking the fucking weather. Okay… so I heard a rumor it was going to snow… and heard it was going to be a lot… but holy shit balls. Basically I left my hotel this morning and entered a world of white chaos with completely horrific road conditions. My friends had headed out before me though and had called to warn me of the ice and white-outs, so I took it slow.
So here’s the thing… when you live in a state with some of the worst winters, you’d expect people know how to drive in shit conditions. Nope. One bad winter driver can start a hell of a domino effect. A pile-up. And fuck… there was a big one. Hundreds of cars, trucks, trailers, and snowmobiles completely ruined. Literally HUNDREDS of vehicles were flipped and smashed all over the highway. I drove through and was thinking… “holy shit… I’m glad I missed that”… and fucking fuck. The car I was trailing behind suddenly disappeared into pure whiteness. (For those of you who live in beautiful snow-free areas, this is referred to as a white-out. Take a piece of white printer paper, put it directly against your face, and open your eyes. That’s a fucking white-out.) I barely get enough time to think, “okay… this is bad… fuck me” and the white-out clears. Then I see red. The bright red of dozens of brake lights in front of me. It was another fucking pile-up and I was fucking in it. Instant sweat and panic hit me. Somehow I was able to serve/drift onto the shoulder just enough to avoid the car directly in front me, but… that left my rear exposed. I took a second to look behind me and time literally stopped. There were vehicles… hauling ass… coming fucking straight at me. So… I braced myself for impact.
Long story short… I was extremely lucky today. Lucky by mere inches. Cars were fucked up all around me and somehow I was able to get out with my life and car unscathed. My usually easy hour and a half drive turned into four hours of detours, back roads, hellish highways, and panic attacks. However, through this nightmare I was able to see people being just fucking great people. Nobody today was yelling or placing any blame for what had happened. I just saw people who were all stuck in a very shitty situation together being kind, helpful, and caring to one another.
So, I’ll end this adventure with a few things I learned today…
Watch the fucking weather, keep boots in the car like my mom always says (Converse aren’t the fucking best in a foot of snow), and never let a shitty situation bring out the worst in you.
And damn… it feels fucking great to be home.
Wow ๐ฎ lucky ๐ I have no idea about snow as we donโt get it in sunny Queensland but I have had some near misses in my life and it is jarring – relief but ..anyway lucky for you it wasnโt a mess.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m happy you don’t have to deal with the snow!! It’s literally the worst. I’m just glad I picked up that penny that was on heads this morning. ๐๐
LikeLiked by 2 people
Haha – see a penny pick it up and all day long youโll have good luck – indeed
LikeLiked by 1 person
๐
LikeLike
This was an incredible story! The first time I glanced at itโ on the day that you wrote it, I knew I needed to give it proper time! Sorry I took so long to get around to it.
Big credit to your fast reactions and quick thinking thereโ in a tough situation. And my god that Was lucky, I can’t imagine it. I feel like this situation would be on my mind for a while after…is it? I hope it hasn’t caused too much lasting anxiety.
Do you drive 1.5 hours to work each day?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I do get very anxious driving in any snow, but that’s my usual. I was driving back from a hotel for a weekend getaway. It is way up North by the border.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah! Ok. Snow driving anxiety is totally understandable! I’ve so rarely driven in snow. I got to drive on a slower, quiet road in snow onceโ I absolutely loved it! ๐คฃ. Just like playing Colin McRae rally! It was a weird local bit of snow on the way to Ikea.
Also once I drove on a rural road lined with snow, at night, driving back up to Scotland. It was pretty quiet and I enjoyed the exhilaration of it, but looking back I wonder how I stayed on the road!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah it can be beautiful… Or completely horrifying. The weather here changes so fast so it’s like 50/50.
LikeLike